Locals and tourists in the German cities of Kassel, Ulm and Hanover had the opportunity to encounter Falun Gong practitioners over several August weekends and learn about the persecution in China – in particular, the forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience, mainly Falun Gong practitioners.
On these “information days” (infotag, a common avenue for Germans to raise awareness about human rights or charity-related issues), passers-by stopped by the practitioners' tables at Koenigsplatz in Kassel, in Ulm, and at Kröpcke in central Hanover.
Upon learning about the state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in China, many people signed the 2014 DAFOH (Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting) petition, calling for a thorough investigation by the United Nations and for an end to forced organ harvesting.
In Kassel, the practitioners' activities drew media coverage, where the newspaper HNA.DE published a comprehensive article about Falun Gong and the persecution in China.
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| HNA.DE article about Falun Gong practitioners' activities at Koenigsplatz in Kassel |
Titled “How to Refine Oneself – Members of the Falun Gong Movement Clarify at Activity Day at Koenigsplatz,” the article introduced Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) as a cultivation and meditation practice of the Buddha school. The story quoted a local practitioner discussing the tenets of Falun Dafa: “Cultivators adhere to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance... Falun Dafa is a refining process of the body and the mind... those who follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance obtain physical health and spiritual wisdom.”
The article also covered the 15-year persecution in China: “Many [practitioners in China] lost their jobs, and their families have been torn apart. But the worst crime is the systematic organ harvesting. Sometimes without anesthetics, prisoners of conscience, 80% of whom are Falun Gong practitioners, have their organs taken.”
The article concluded with contact information for local practitioners as well as the schedule and location of group exercises.
Koenigsplatz is at the center of the City of Kassel in the State of Hessen in northern Germany. During the August 9 and 10 Infotag, many people were shocked to learn about the state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China.
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| People in Kassel sign the 2014 DAFOH petition to call for an end to forced organ harvesting in China |
A German woman told practitioners that she couldn't believe that such crimes were happening in China. Upon learning the facts, she signed the DAFOH petition. Shortly afterwards, she came back to the practitioners' table with three friends, who also signed the petition. Another young woman also made two visits to the practitioners' table, bringing some friends to add support to the effort to end forced organ harvesting in China.
A young Chinese man had a long conversation with the practitioners. He commented several times that he couldn't imagine that these crimes of organ harvesting were going on in China. The practitioners explained to him that all the media in China are under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and so it's impossible to read about this in China. The young man thanked them and took informational materials.
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| People in Ulm sign the 2014 DAFOH petition calling for an end to forced organ harvesting in China | A woman in Hanover reacts while reading about the CCP's crimes of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience |
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| Three young women in Hanover express concern over the persecution on August 16 |
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| A group of young men from the Republic of Serbia support the signature drive in Hanover on August 16 |
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| A woman in Hanover quietly reads a Falun Gong flyer next to a banner which states, “The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” |
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